The Man Who Saved the World
Part of Heroes and Hiccups: True Stories about Nuclear Weapon Risks
Stanislav Petrov
In 1983, Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov was monitoring satellite imagery when the nightmare scenario occurred: he received a notification that the United States had launched a nuclear missile at the U.S.S.R. Petrov had a gut feeling that something was off, and despite protocol and pressure to act quickly, he paused and flagged the incident as a false alarm.
He was right—the early warning satellite system had malfunctioned. Petrov’s decision may have saved the world from an all-out nuclear war.
More Resources:
Stanislav Petrov: The man who may have saved the world – BBC News
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When Yeltsin Reached for the Nuclear Briefcase
